Category: Poetry

A warm bright spot

This world contains multitudes
It’s not one or the other
For every day full of sunshine and warmth
There’s a storm waiting to darken the sky
That will, too, eventually pass
And there’s often no sense
No reason
Why some get more of one
And some more of the other
And some not enough of either.
And I am just one small part of this world
One weightless drop of water,
One small beam of light,
But I am a part of it
It’s shape and feel
It’s light and darkness
So I seek to be a small, warm, bright spot
A gentle place to take a rest
Before moving on the way
And I seek not to take
But to give
Not to win
But to build
Not to hate
But to love
And I know I will fail sometimes
But I hope to succeed more times
And I hope you join me
And the world becomes a little warmer and brighter
Together.

How to help

I saw it on the news again
The same sad story
A man the world forgot
Neglected, didn’t shelter
Acting out a little
Crying out in pain
In a way that was inconvenient to society
His light extinguished too soon
By a violent wind
And I stand here
Lost in thought
Asking how to solve the problem
Asking where it comes from
And how I play a role
How can I help my fellow man?
When sometimes I feel I can hardly take care of myself
But that’s nothing
Compared to what he lived
But this problem is so big
And each of our parts is so small
It can feel hopeless
But that’s not a reason not to try
So I hope the next time I can do something
Something small or large
To help ease someone’s pain
I will do it
Without a seconds thought
And that there are millions just like me
Thinking the same.

Human

Sometimes I feel
Like my heart is so close to the surface
Protected by nothing
Just a paper thin skin
Beating, faster and faster,
Straining to leave its cage
Always reaching for something
Always searching
Grasping
For something that slips through my fingers
Every time

But sometimes I catch a glimpse in the mirror
Of the masks that I wear
The shell that I use
To protect myself
To keep myself apart
Even from those I love

And I wonder
How I could be both of these things at once
Why there is nothing in the middle
And if one is the real me
I guess there is no answer
And that I’m not the only one
And that is part of what makes us human

The Fork in the Road

Some want to be known
Some want to disappear
Sometimes it’s best to just be
To take the road in front of you
with all the twists and turns.
To look just ahead,
to see each fork in front
and only think about the next right thing.
Life is not always fair
It’s often a game of chance
Or a game of hard work and chance
Where both are needed
To get where we are going.
But the fates don’t bend to our will
So we can try to control the little we can
And hope that it’s enough.

Pain

You asked me why I make my life so hard
I’m not sure it’s like that
Maybe it’s just that I don’t care
That I don’t do anything to stop it
But why?
I guess when one fears the hard times
The burn in one’s arms
The lead in one’s bones
The fatigue that smothers like a blanket
That fear itself
Can do all that and more
Always running from pain
That’s only temporary
That won’t consume my soul.

But maybe it’s not that
Maybe it’s the contrast
The old cliche
No light without dark
I always identify with people who have known pain
In a life full of pleasure, the absence feels like pain
In a life full of struggle, pleasure feels like manna from Heaven
On a journey with no food or drink
Legs aching full of hunger and thirst
The first sight of civilization
The first sip of water, bite of food
These are worth living for
When one returns from a walk home in the cold rain
Fleeing thunder and lightning
Soaked to the bone
And you walk through the door to a warm home
The deep breath
The feeling of peace.

Or maybe it’s to train
For the next shoe to drop
It always will
And that’s ok
To be afraid of pain is to intensify it
But I greet pain as an old friend
Coming for a visit
Who will leave
And one day return again.

Flaws

They say our flaws are what make us human
We’ve more than our fair share.
Pieces broken, splintered
Things we’ve had to bear.

But there can be an odd beauty
In light reflected from broken glass
The sound as it falls to the ground
A torn blanket on green grass

And the pain we feel
It comes and goes
Is replaced by smiles and laughs
One day will return

But we’re still here
Broken pieces and all
Marching on
Till the end.

Superman

I still remember the day
In the pool with the waves
Our parents weren’t around
The lifeguards didn’t see
As you swam for your life
But started loosing

So I came for you
Picked you up
Sank to the floor
Took three steps
And jumped with all my might
Trying to hold you above the water
And repeated until we touched ground
And I held you till they came

And I’ve tried all my life to become Superman
Since we were kids
Someone who could carry the world on their shoulders
And never let it down
But I know I’m flawed: so are you.
I guess that makes us human.

But I’ve made mistakes too
Been too selfish with my time
Too guarded with my love
Too focused on goals
To be fully there
But I hope you knew
Before you were gone
How much of a part
You had in my heart

And I’ve tried all my life to become Superman
Since we were kids
Someone who could carry the world on their shoulders
And never let it down.
But I know I’m flawed: so are you.
I guess that makes us human.

Brothers in Arms

We were together through it all
Every misstep, every fall
Good times, bad times, ups and downs
They haven’t stopped, neither will I

But you were supposed to be here,
we had plans
We were gonna turn the world upside down
Come out on top, win it all,
Go to war together, brothers in arms.

But all it feels a little bit different now
That you’re not standing behind me
I’m the same me I always was
But there’s a little more, and a little less.

You were supposed to be here,
we had plans
We were gonna turn the world upside down
Come out on top, win it all,
Go to war together, brothers in arms.

And I’m not sure how it’s gonna be
The things in the future that I’m gonna see
You’re not the last thing that I’m going to lose
But I had hoped to lose them next to you

But you were supposed to be here,
we had plans
We were gonna turn the world upside down
Come out on top, win it all,
Go to war together, brothers in arms.

I’m not sure you were ever supposed to be here
Sometimes it feels like you had to fight for every second
So many times that you could have slipped away
It’s a miracle that you were here at all

But you were supposed to be here,
we had plans
We were gonna turn the world upside down
Come out on top, win it all
Go to war together, brothers in arms.

But I won’t leave you behind
I couldn’t if I tried
I’ll carry you every step
You’re a part of me.

You were supposed to be here,
we had plans
We were gonna turn the world upside down
Come out on top, win it all,
Go to war together, brothers in arms.

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Moving forward (not moving on)

It still doesn’t quite feel right
Like the world put on a coat two sizes too tight
Like it’s all squeezed, uncomfortable
Close to right, but all wrong

I keep looking at my phone
I keep expecting to hear it ring
Hear your voice saying hey bro, what’s going on?
Do you have time to talk?

The places we were together are a little emptier now.
A little colder. A little quieter.
It’s still weird that you’re not here
We were together our whole lives
You used to never leave me alone

It was supposed to be me and you against the world.
Brothers to the end
We were supposed to go through the tough times together
And the good times too

We had a lot of those.
I guess I’ll have some more to come
And I guess you’ll be there too.
Every Step.
I couldn’t leave you behind if I tried to
So many of the best parts of me are really pieces of you.

Perfect

When we’re still small
We think the world is so big
But our perception of it matches our size.
We think we are bigger than we are
That others watch our every move
That our future hangs on every moment.
I don’t know when I learned it
I don’t know why I ever thought it mattered
I don’t know why sometimes I still do.

And I’m sorry for all the times I was less than perfect
For each false step, each mistake.
And I know you made mistakes too,
I know you didn’t always deserve it,
But perfect is all I ever wanted for you.

We were still just kids
Driving cars too fast
Fools in the best way.
You were the first one I ever wanted
The first one I fell for
But those things don’t last forever
Many of the best things don’t
An important lesson I learned from you.
It wasn’t either of our faults
But it was hard for me to let go.

I finally found something that would last forever.
Settled down. Built a house. Built a life.
And I always wanted more for us
(But was it really just for me?)
And I worked hard for it
Long days, long nights
Away from home
I didn’t always give you my best
And I wasn’t always there for you.

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